The Vegas Golden Knights’ locker room had weathered coaching changes before, but the mid-March dismissal of Bruce Cassidy and the hiring of John Tortorella with just eight games remaining in the regular season presented a unique challenge. Rather than unravel, the team leaned on its core group of veteran leaders to navigate the transition.
“A new voice sometimes can help spark some change in some guys’ play,” captain Mark Stone said. “I think we’ve seen that over the last eight games.”
General manager Kelly McCrimmon made the move on March 29, sensing the team needed a jolt. The players responded by going 7-0-1 down the stretch, clinching the Pacific Division title — the fifth division crown in the franchise’s nine-year history.
“Love the group in here,” center Jack Eichel said. “It’s an awesome group of people to come to work with every day, and an unbelievable team to be a part of. I think we have a lot of high-character people and we care about each other. All those things are really important.”
Tortorella, known for his intense style, took a measured approach upon arriving in Las Vegas. “I think they have some experience in this, right? They won a few years ago. You can see how close they are. I think that’s very important this time of year,” Tortorella said. “As I’ve said, I don’t want to interfere if I don’t have to interfere. Part of my job is to guide where I think they need to go, and get out of the way.”
The Knights also dealt with roster turnover, trading longtime defenseman Zach Whitecloud and adding Rasmus Andersson, Nic Dowd, and Cole Smith. The new players were quickly welcomed into a tight-knit group.
“The team has been full of great guys, really accepting guys,” said Dowd, who spent the previous eight seasons with the Washington Capitals. “They’ve been really happy to help out, or reach out before I got traded or before I even came here. As hard as (the adjustment) has been, it probably could have been a lot more challenging without the help of my teammates and the Vegas staff.”
Stone summed up the team’s mindset heading into the playoffs: “I believe in every single one in this room. I believe in the organization. I believe in the team.”
